The event was planned as part of the National Year of Reading Celebrations and also to mark National Pet Month.

Claire, a vet with the Alnorthumbria practice, brought along border terrier Lily and spoke to children about the tests vets use to diagnose a range of conditions including eye problems and digestive upsets. Claire used x-rays and a light box to show images of broken bones and Lily proved a willing 'guinea pig' for a dental examination.

After the demonstration, the children entertained their parents with an interactive story, My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes, which went down a storm.

Lynne Riddell, Librarian at Morpeth Library said: 'It's always enjoyable to invite classes along to the library and to see the children's enthusiasm for books. Claire's visit provided an unusual dimension to our National Year of Reading celebrations; and is an experience which, I am sure, will stay with the children for quite some time'.

Mrs Burns, Year Two teacher at Stobhillgate First School said: "The children always enjoy visiting the library and found this particular visit very interesting. It was fantastic to hear from Claire about the type of work that she does and the children loved meeting Lily. The story that they performed was the icing on the cake of a great day."